Women’s Rigths in Latvia 1918–1940: between Equality in Political Rights and Civil Inequality

Abstract

Publication is dedicated to women’s equality in the Republic of Latvia civil law in the 20th century interwar period. With the foundation of the Republic of Latvia, legal basis was laid for equality in the political rights of genders. In 1919, when it was decided to temporary retain the former laws of the Russian Empire, the laws of a patriarchal, class society were kept, as well as the particularism according to the territorial principle. In Russia’s civil laws a wife was subject to the husband’s power and was under the husband’s guardianship. In the 20th century, during the interwar period, a woman’s civil law capacity in Latvia was significantly changed, it was considerably expanded compared to the provisions of civil laws of the Russian Empire; however, a woman’s full equality with a man in the field of civil law was not achieved, even though equality in political rights had been established since the foundation of the Latvian state.

Keywords

• women’s rights
• marriage
• family law
• the power of the husband
• the history of discrimination against women